


How Far We've Come

by Jinx_The_Wicked, mishalki



Category: South Park
Genre: Adulthood, Aged-Up Character(s), But It Could Be Classified As Such, Childhood Memories, Christophe Is Actually A Teddy Bear, Coming of Age, Couch Cuddles, Denial of Feelings, Depression, Developing Relationship, Elementary School, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Flashbacks, Fluff and Humor, Gregory Just Wants Him To Be Happy, Growing Up Together, High School, I Don't Want To Call It, Light Angst, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Mercenaries, Middle School, Same-Sex Marriage, Slice of Life, Story within a Story, Strained Friendships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 02:13:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7489362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jinx_The_Wicked/pseuds/Jinx_The_Wicked, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mishalki/pseuds/mishalki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gregory notices how Christophe has been more quiet and distant in their relationship. Maybe he should remind the Frenchman how far they've made it together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Don't Remember

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, okay, so this is the second multichapter Jinx and I will be posting for the Internet's viewing pleasure.
> 
> It's definitely something that we'll try our best at when it comes to updates but this isn't our only priority. We have our other fic "Vrai Restraint Love" still in the making so updates on both stories will be a bit...wacked.
> 
> So without further ado, please enjoy the coming of age story of our two European mercenaries; facing the many problems of everyday life and wondering if they'll live to see tomorrow

 An ant scurried across the polished top of the dining table; a small black speck in a sea of light brown. Green eyes followed the small creature on his trek through the surface until it stopped at the edge, where table gave way to open air. The gaze continued to watch the insect run around, as if it was figuring out what it could do before it choosing a certain decision. After a moment, it decided to crawl over the edge and disappear under the table. The owner of the gaze laughed softly and leaned back in the wooden chair a bit, looking down at his hand to occupy himself with a golden band on his finger. His ring finger.

 Christophe DeLorne slipped the priceless piece of jewelry off and rolled it between his fingers, not even attempting to suppress the sigh that passed between his lips. How long had it been? He was 31 now...he married when he was 26... _five years_ he'd had this. Five years since he had said his vows to the one he had wanted to spend the rest of his measly life with. The life that grew into something better when they both promised to be there for one another no matter what. But what happened to him? When did the Frenchman close himself off? Certainly it couldn't be because of Gregory; he did nothing but try to cheer him up.

 What started it; he had no clue. The older male had woken up one day... _distant_. Chris felt bored around Greg and didn't talk to him as much. It was as if...he didn't love him anymore. Christophe did though; he loved _everything_ about Gregory, but lately he felt like he had forgotten what they were. Yes, they were a couple, but that's not what he meant. The brunet felt like he had forgotten why they were what they are now. It gave him this empty feeling in his chest - no, not the hole in his heart from the clothes hanger - but a metaphorical void. Chris wanted to do something about it, fix this relationship, but he didn't have any motivation.

* * *

 

 A pale hand continued to firmly move across the comforter of a bed, smoothing out creases in the fabric. It was habit and a daily thing 30 year old Gregory Tveit did; remaking the bed and cleaning up around the place. From dust to dirty clothes to straightening out anything that needed it. Now he was just distracting himself by straightening up the room.

 Picking up a picture frame that stayed by a lamp, the blond carefully sat on the newly made bed and examined it. The frame held a picture of a young blue eyed blond right beside a green eyed brunet. Tan arms around shoulders, said young blond was kissing the brunet's cheek. That was years ago, but at what time, Greg couldn't remember. It looked like they were loving where they were at. Wherever  _that_ was.

 They did so many things together; way before five years ago when they got married. Until one day, the Brit noticed that Chris got more distant and jaded, putting Gregory in a confused state. Of course not everything in life is gonna be exciting, but he didn't even speak much then and Greg just wanted to make it better. At the moment, said brunet was in the kitchen doing God knows what while the young male stayed in the bedroom.

 Though, Christophe was taking an _awfully_ long time in the kitchen; what was he doing? The blond put the picture frame back on the table beside and got up, making his way to the door. Before he opened the door, he traced his fingertips on the wood until they reached the doorknob where he then opened the door and stepped out. He started walking; peering at the walls, carpet, most things around him. He continued this action until he reached the kitchen and walked in seeing Chris sitting in a chair. "Hey...you doing alright?" Was he sitting there the whole time? The blond leaned back on a wall for a moment and peered around the room. Everything was the same just like it'd always been.

 The sound of the Brit's entrance startled the Frenchman and he dropped the ring in his hand, the pitched clatter breaking the silence that had followed after the question. Christophe's lips pushed into a tight line and he bent down to pick up the item that bounded them together. "Yeah...I'm okay; just tired." His eyebrows furrowed together as he slipped the ring back on. He wasn't lying, the brunet was quite tired but he mostly used it as a lie now.

 The older male hated it when the blond would confront him like this. Gregory had been doing it a lot more lately; yet it still bugged him. The Frenchman knew exactly why he did this but he never answered. He couldn't. How would he explain that he didn't see the point in their marriage anymore? That the love was replaced with confusion and trust was replaced with doubt. "It's late and I should get some sleep." Now that was an obvious lie, but to Chris it was the truth. Two o'clock was pretty late for him.

 The brunet stood up and pushed his chair in, grabbing a cigarette from one of his pockets. With each movement he made, it felt like lead was weighing him down. It only got worse with each approaching step towards the doorway, where the blond was located at. Guilt and sadness crept up Chris's back as he hoped he could walk away with no problems. Walk out without having to talk or spill everything he didn't want Gregory to know. An arm in front blocking off the doorway brought the brunet to a halt and he looked up at a firm gaze, green meeting blue. "Let me through." He grumbled, his heart rate starting to pick up.

 Seeing the smaller male like this wasn't exactly the happiest thing. It was now or bug him while he went to bed, and Greg just needed to know. The blond kept a firm grip of the doorframe and blocked the other from leaving the room. "Yes, I understand your tired but that excuse isn't going to last forever." Gregory kept a firm look at him; sure, it was gentle but it was firm. Just tired from the secrecy going on. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 "Christophe please, I just want to know what's wrong," The Brit began speaking, "You've just been so distant lately and I want to know what happened so I can help you." The younger male spoke slowly, making sure his words would actually come out comforting instead of harsh. It sounded soft to him, he just hoped he kept a stern sound in his voice as well. Just to make sure he could get his point across.

 The grip on the doorframe gave away as his arm fell back at his side. "I'm sorry but please, can we just sit down and talk about it?" He felt like he was begging at this point. He smiled softly at Chris, trying to give off a message to show he wasn't mad. Nodding his head towards the living room for a slight moment. "I'm here for you, I promise."

 The Frenchman dug his teeth into the butt of his cigarette and stared at him for a moment longer. He could tell from the blond's voice that he was through with the games and his dodging. The look and his voice gave it away too easily, causing more guilt to rid the brunet. Chris walked past the Englishman and his throat tightened.

 Gregory was right about what we said. He was right about everything. He caught on so fast it made the tan male's head spin with shock. He walked into the rather spacey living room and sat down, turning off the television with trembling hands and stiff muscles. Chris locked eyes with Greg again and nodded in response, his mouth running dry. "Come on then." He spoke curtly but his voice cracked.

 He had forgotten what real fear felt like. Was this it? He didn't even feel like this when he died that one time back in elementary school; all he felt was the slight acceptance of what was to come. The chain smoker looked down at the carpet and fiddled with his hands nervously, not wanting to look at the blond when he walked over and sat down next to him.

 The weight of another body was noticeable when the Englishman sat beside him. "Thank you Christophe." He thanked the male for finally agreeing to talk. This was something. Still, he noticed Chris looked tense and slightly scared. _'What's there to be scared of?'_ His eyebrows furrowed together for a moment before relaxing, taking a small deep breath. This out of be fun.

 Greg placed a hand on the other's leg and placed his free hand in his own lap. "Now please, what's been bothering you?" He spoke in a soft voice, "Has something got you depressed? Angry perhaps?" He questioned again. What could have gotten him depressed? If that even was the problem. Maybe he was stressed out for work; he'd find out soon enough.

 A small frown was tugged at the Brit's lips as he let his shoulders relax. He wasn't going to speak again until the brunet answered; he showed he was waiting. He was gonna find out was was wrong with him no matter how long it took.

 Christophe bounced his leg as he thought out his choice of words. He truly had no idea how to bring this up. Should he be blunt; just directly state how their marriage had dulled and he felt depressed at the fact their routines were the same? No...it seems too negative. Gregory would think it was his fault then. Maybe beat around the bush; hint towards everything but never specify anything? That wouldn't work either; it'd be too vague. Too sketchy.

 "I'm not angry...just-" Why couldn't he say it? Was he scared that he would hurt the blond? Christophe licked his lips and kept his head tilted down. "Our marriage...our relationship in general. I don't see...why we're here anymore. What's the point behind us?" He looked up, green eyes reflecting a sad, lost look. "I'm happy with it and all but...I don't see why you're still happy. I don't know why you're still here with my sorry ass. All I do is mope and ignore you and you don't deserve that from me!" The brunet's voice rose a bit and his eyes started to burn, his hands moving up to tangle in his air.

 "I'm just like a parasite! I do nothing but hurt you while I gain petty things that leave me with emptiness!" He shouted and leaned foward, finally bursting into tears. It'd been so long since he'd cried; the last time was years ago. "You could have so much more! Someone so much better-!" The hysterical male was cut off by a loud yell beside him and a squeeze to his leg. He looked up with tear stained cheeks and a flushed face.

 The blond squeezed the brunet's knee and shouted over his sobs. " _Christophe!_ " He looked at the man in shocked confusion. Was their marriage really such a bore? Was their relationship in general too dull for him? Gregory always figured it was fine, until Chris started getting distant. His gaze softened slightly as he continued staring at the male beside him. "I never really thought about that before." He mumbled.

 "The reasoning on why we're here now?" He thought about the question for a moment and then smiled. "We've been through much together Chris; we've just built our way into marriage," He paused, "All the things we've been through..." He continued.

 "Hmmm...are you willing to sit still long enough to listen to why?" He asked the man peering over at him, now smiling. "I know the exact reason to why we're here," He moved his arm to his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, "For why we are what we are now."

 Christophe stared at the other, his bottom lip still quivering slightly and he ducked his head down as he sniffed. "I can sit still longer than Tweek." He laughed, wiping his eyes as he nodded. Speaking of him, he needed to stop by his shop and grab some more coffee. He and Greg were running out.

 The hand on his shoulder slipped around to rest on his other, pulling the tan male into the side of the Englishman's side. Leaning against the arm of the couch, Gregory looked down as Christophe pulled his legs onto the couch cushions and let his head rest comfortably in the crook of the leaner man's neck. Fluffy brown hair, almost like a halo surrounding the Frenchman's head, tickled the blond's chin.

 Having the smaller male pulled close now, Gregory made sure he was in a comfortable position. He sighed softly. "Where do I begin?" He was wondering how far back they went; before fourth grade at least. It was during summer break when school was out; both of them had just moved in from their homelands when they...well...

 He didn't really know how to describe how how they met in simple terms. It was a lot more complicated than one would expect. "Remember that summer when you and I had moved to the states; completely unaware that fate would tie us together?" Greg gave a small smile, the memory already becoming clear in his head. "The snow was falling and everyones' parents were at work, leaving them unattended to their own devices..."


	2. Notice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No chapter.

My apologies, but there is no update yet.

 

just like Vrai Restraint Love, this story is on hold until further notice.

 

Please do not feel discouraged and quit reading, we'll hop back on schedule asap.

 

_~With love, your authors, Alex and Jinx_


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